Topping the list of this year’s Best Pizza Awards is a pizzaiolo who started out at the bottom—scrubbing a pizzeria’s toilets and washing the dirty dishes when he was just 10 years old. That pizzaiolo is Francesco Martucci, ranked No. 1 in the world by the Milan, Italy-based Best Pizza Awards, a project organized by The Best Chef. Notably, it’s a repeat win for Martucci, the chef/owner of I Masanielli in Caserta, Italy—he also claimed the No. 1 spot in 2025.
Taking second place was Roberto Davanzo of Bob Alchimia a Spicchi in Montepaone, Italy. Third place went to Francesco Capece of Confine in Milan, Italy. The No. 4 spot went to Daniele Cason of The Pizza Bar on 38th in Tokyo, while Gabriele Bonci of Pizzarium in Rome took fifth place.
